Tracking Six Months of Work on Plaza's The Met in Vaughan

It was back at the end of December that preliminary site preparation work began at the site of Plaza and Berkeley's The Met, one of the pioneering condominium developments leading the charge in Vaughan's quickly urbanizing new Downtown, optimistically dubbed the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. In the half-year since work began on the 35-storey, Quadrangle-designed condominium and townhome development, we have witnessed the progression of the project's shoring and excavation phases.

The site as it appeared at the end of December 2016, image by Jack Landau

Crews from Michael Bros. Excavation were the first workers on the site, conducting the preliminary site work that would prep the project's footprint for the installation of the project's earth retention system. Anchor Shoring crews were the next to arrive on site, beginning construction of a pile and lagging shoring system to retain the surrounding earth and allow for a safe excavation. By February of this year, shoring rigs were working away on the site's perimeter, driving hollow piles into the ground, removing earth with an auger, and then installing vertical steel soldier piles. Elsewhere on the site, the first elements of excavation had begun to the north, where a sloped earth wall has been acting in place of the pile and lagging system used for the south, east, and west sides of the site.

Shoring at the site of The Met, February 2017, image by David Ackerman

One month later, a return to the site revealed that work was well underway on digging out the development's three-storey underground garage. At the same time, work continued on the project's shoring component elsewhere on the site.

Excavation at The Met, March 2017, image by Jack Landau

By the end of May, the project's excavation and shoring phases were still being carried out side-by-side, with the pit growing closer to its final three-storey depth.

Earth retention system at the site of The Met, May 2017, image by Jack Landau

A return to the site this morning shows that shoring and excavation continue, while de-watering equipment has been installed around the site's perimeter. The site's high water table is evidenced in the photo below, where pooling can be seen at the northwest corner of the pit. To prepare the site for the start of forming activity by TMG Builders, groundwater is in the process of being pumped out of the site.

The Met's site, June 2017, image by Craig White

Additional information and renderings can found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.